Another free exhibit!

Thursday October 17th

Once again, Mrs Nguyen gave me a free ticket to the Louvre for another exhibit.  This one was about the origins of stamps. It was interesting to see how they began from smaller stamps and then developed into larger ones and then into the things like the printing press and so on. Photos weren't really allowed so I only got a few shots.

It was at night and the exhibit was on the top floor so I got a great shot of the Louvre at night. Love it!!

1491 - the nativity

1451 - prayer book

No photos but an update on my schooling

Well, I can't read English but because of the French ideals on what late is and isn't I can say that all went better than what would've happened if this happened to me in the states.

Let me start from the beginning..

When I signed up and paid for my class on September 18th, I received a packet saying what the important dates are. In it, I read that classes started October 21st however as I was pointed out last night it actually said they started October 10th. I thought it meant that the testing started again and registration for the mandatory social security number if your under 26 even if you are foreign and then classes would start on the 21st. So an email came out on October 9th saying what class one was assigned to. I am in B1 which is the intermediate level and I am fine with that. My classes are Monday through Friday 12-2pm. I think that it will give me a chance to reinforce what I already know and learn something new since it will be a French class in France. Once again, it said that classes started October 10th. Once again I though it meant the testing and stuff. I had a phonetics test on the 10th. The phonetics test was nothing. I waited in a line for over an hour to talk to a lady in French about where I live and why I decided to come to France. She asked me to repeat a few sentences and then that was it. She told me my pronunciation was actually very good which made me feel good since a native French woman told me I pronounced French well. Then she talked with every other 'tester' in the room to find out when I could take the class. She kept telling me that I couldn't go into the 11am class since my classes are at 12pm and its an hour long class. Then she was like what about 1030am and then she was like no that won't work you won't have enough time to get to your next class. I was like thats fine, I have a half hour to get from the fourth floor of the building to the first floor. I don't know why but that didn't seem like enough time to her for me to get to my class. I don't know what she thinks I need time for but she was like well its your schedule so she put me in the class. I was thinking about it later like my classes in the states had 7 minutes between each class to get to the next one so I think that a half hour will be plenty.
After this 'test', I went out to help one of the girls I met in the hall while we were waiting for the test find the books for her class. Her name is Kate and she is from Denver and went to school in L.A, she moved to France to live with her boyfriend who she meet at school. A love story...aw :) Well she is in the beginner level but in the same class I am for phonetics. I am not sure how that worked out but I am glad to know someone in one of my classes. She is very nice and she was telling me how her classes started that day (the 10th). I was thinking well maybe they start the beginners earlier or something.
So I went back on the 11th to pick up my book, one of my books was provided by the school and I asked the lady in the bookstore if classes started on the 21st, just to make sure I had the right day. She tells me they started on the 10th. I nearly died. I missed the first day of classes. She was like its all okay just go to class today and you'll be fine. Thankfully I came to get my books early with a free ride from Mr Nguyen who had to be in the city at 10 so he dropped me off. So I had two hours to wonder what my teacher was going to say when I tell her I missed the first day of class on complete and under accident because I can't read english now. I'm sitting their waiting all nervous and stuff and I see this girl come by and check out the room and sit and wait for class to start. So I go over and introduce myself and tell her how I accidentally missed the first day and ask what I missed. Well it turns out that she signed up that day and it was her first day too so I felt much better that I wasn't the only new person. So I got into class and talked to the teacher and, thanks be to the Lord on high who is way way too good to me, she is the nicest person ever. She was like oh its no problem here's the other two books you need to get and they just introduced themselves to the class and didn't really do much. From my experience, if you miss the first day of school in the states its over. The teacher thinks your a slum who won't do well in the class and you miss all the important stuff from what to expect during the semester from the class. Apparently at these classes here in France, its totally okay if you miss the first class like no big deal you are here now. My teacher is so great! Such a funny person, very good at explaining things and just had an overall great first day of classes even though it was the second.
After class, I went out with the girl I met before class to get our other two books. Her name is Cristina and she is from New York and an experienced world traveler. She seems to be a few years older than me since she has graduated from college and is working on her dissertation for her masters. So she's here on research and taking French classes to help better her skills. She invited me to come along with her as she does her research. I was thinking cool! I have a friend whose doing research in Paris and I get to tag along! Awesome!!
Overall, even though I missed the first day, all seemed to work out very very well. I am so thankful that the Lord is so good to me!! I feel truly blessed :)

Petit Palais, Grand Palais, Musée Jacquemart-André

Tuesday October 9th

Petit Palais: a museum build around the same time as the Eiffel Tower

Grand Palais: right across the street from the Petit Palais 

the gilded entrance to the Petit Palais

The room you walk into when you come into the Petit Palais. Surprisingly this museum was free!

Ladies stopwatches from the mid 1700s, how I wish we could use those at Greenfield Village with our period outfits. I know that they are too early for the 1900s but still they are so pretty!!

Room with all the ladies goods from the 1700s like the stopwatches, hair brushes, makeup stands, etc.

"Beau temps à Pern" 1901

The staircase to get to the bottom floor, talk about thinking your in a movie walking down that thing. All I needed was a beautiful dress and I would've felt like a real princess.

I don't know why but this picture really made me stop and think. Its called "Ophélie" and painted around 1894 by Paul Albert Steck. Ophélie was the love interest of Hamlet in Shakespeare's work "Hamlet" and this was depicting her death. The way Steck painted Ophélie was really moving for me, you could feel the love she had for him and why she felt it necessary to kill herself. I say bravo to the artist, bravo.

Onto a much happier painting by Felix Ziem. It didn't have a name just a little description saying it was a boat in Venice but it sure does look like a happy little boat!

Then there was a wing dedicated to the creation of the Champs-Elysée. I find it interesting that it started off as a garden and it is now a major shopping hub for tourist and Parisians alike.

the garden in the middle of the Petit Palais

This was one of the many entrances to the Grand Palais, a much bigger museum built around the same time as the Petit Palais. However this one is not free and the line that day was over an hour long to buy tickets so I decided to wait to go into that one.

Instead I went to the Musée Jacquemart-André. This picture is of the entrance to the place however not the museum. It seems their carriage during the time would come through here and then around to the inside which is the second picture to the entrance to the home which is the third picture. One can tell how rich they were. Anyway, the Andrés lived in this mansion in the late 1880s and did not have any children so they dedicated their home to be a museum. It now houses many interesting paintings and artifacts as well as what the owners rooms once looked like.

Entrance to the Museum

First room

Staircase to the second floor

the salon

I felt very French with my rain jacket on that day!

I just love ornate staircases!

The ceiling

The rooms upstairs, they held different random artifacts. Some dating to the Medieval times and others to the 1880s.

They had an exhibit there dedicated to women and beauty during the 1890s. This was one of the paintings, most of the rest were of women sans clothing which were done very well however not picture worthy for this blog.

I think this will be my new phrase from now on to describe my time here because, besides a few strange Parisians, my time here has been beautiful and like the phrase says "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever."

Madame's chamber, on the wall is a painting of what Monsieur looked like.

Monsieur's chamber: not sure why but very a feminine feel to the room

the wash room

Back in Madame's room but that painting is her.

Place des Vosges, Musée Carnavalet, Maison de Victor Hugo, Hotel De Sully

Tuesday October 8th

Another beautiful day in the city! 

Place des Vosges: a hidden square that dates back to Henry IV's Reign in the mid 1600s. The center was a very cute garden and the facades of buildings enclosing it remained in the archetype of the 1600s.  It really is a hidden spot in Paris. It isn't that far from where Bastille is however if you didn't know to look for it, you wouldn't find it. So there were literally no tourists and at the time I was there (which was lunch time) many high schoolers and business people just having their lunch outside. I love how every single nice day here in Paris the people will take time out to have their lunch outside. Its fantastic! 

Musée Carnavalet: A free museum!! I love anything free :) The museum was dedicated to the history of Paris - its architecture, society, culture, history, and many many portraits.

First room in the museum, most of the signs only date back to the late 1880s early 1900s but they were still very interesting to see the differences in how they advertised back then. 

"Le Chatlet du château de Madrid au bois de Boulogne" by Truchet 1897-1918

Almost every room looked like this one, with many many different people's portraits. I am pretty sure most of them were just Parisians who had their portraits made for one reason or another but all from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s. 

Then there were the political sculptures. I found these next few very very hilarious!

They had a section of the museum dedicated to the Revolution of 1789. This painting is marks the where the Tennis Court Oath occurred. I've seen pictures of this painting in my French Revolution books but it was very very captivating to be right there next to it. The Tennis Court Oath was when the third estate (aka all those members of the government who weren't noble or clergy) was locked out of the Estates General (an assembly called by the king during the old regime). They believed that the King was going to attack them and made the oath to stand together until a new constitution was made and there by creating a new set of rules for the creation of a new government. It was a turning point for the Revolution so it was very cool for me to be that close to that painting.

In the wing of the Revolution, they had a room for the Terror aka when over 2,000 people were killed by the guillotine if they were against the new radical government. I had heard that the French liked to pretend this time never happened so they generally skipped over it. But there was a room dedicated to that time. There wasn't much description as to what that time was if you didn't already know what what that time was. So some of the rumors I heard were true. The room may have been dedicated to that time but it was just objects with the name of what the object was and nothing about what exactly happened then.

The room

In another room, there were political cartoons or drawings hanging from the walls. This one was the capture of the King and Queen in the city Varennes as they tried to escape France during the beginning of the Revolution.

Not really sure what this room was dedicated to but the craftsmanship of this piece was very intricate. 

A view of Paris in the 1900s aka the Belle Epoque

A vase made for the Olympics that were held in Paris in 1924.

I forgot to take a picture of what the name or artist was of this painting but I loved it. Very romantic and wistful.

Next I visited the apartments of Victor Hugo

The works in his apartment were dedicated to the creation of his novel "Notre Dame."

Entrance 

His original manuscript of "Notre Dame"

His view from the window in his foyer

Foyer

Dining room, but I love how the walls, the floor and the ceiling all match. Even the curtains although they are not in this picture.

Look its Quasimodo from Disney's version of "Notre Dame!"

His bedroom

writing desk

Entrance to the museum and also the building where his apartment was located.

This was the inside garden of the Hotel de Sully, a Renaissance town house. You can't see the inside because I think its all apartments now but the garden was dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

View from the street